Building structure



March 6, 1945. 1.15. HAZELTINE, JR 2,371,049

BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed Aug. 6. 1941 WFA l? L A YER SATURATED FELTBASE BA FEVER COA 7"//VG PART/BL E COAT/NG DE COR/17' /VE COAT/NG .sA TURA rE FE1; r En sz BARR/ER con r//vc PART/BLE coAr//vs DECORATA/E CAT/VGS w WFA l? LA YER sara/M750 rsu' an $5 2 BARE/ER conf/NG 3 PARr/BLIE conf/NG 4 j' .zfcvRnr/VE con r//vs *6 A/ffs/vf g noon of? WALL sun/FACE Patented 'Mai'. 6, 1945 BUILDING STRUCTURE James E. Hazeltine, Jr., Lancaster, Pa., assignor to Armstrong Cork Company, Lancaster, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 6, 1941, Serial No. 405,681

9 Claims. v (Cl. 154-49) This invention is particularly concerned with floors or walls covered with a material having a A body or foundation made of waterproof impregnated fibrous material. Typical coverings of this sort are known as felt base and felt backed linoleum and comprise a foundation of asphalt impregnated felt and a wearing layer of oil paint in the case of felt base or linoleum composition in felt backed linoleum. lIhe underside of such coverings is provided with a paint coating which usually serves the dual purpose of concealing the unsightly asphalt saturant of the felt and at the same time sealing it against bleeding onto the face of the material when it is rolled for storage and shipment.

Felt base, floor coverings have generally been laid loose on the fioor rather than cemented, because of the impossibility of removing .them when so cemented. The felt body is inherently weak and ruptures when any attempt isA made to strip it from the floor. This condition is aggravated by the generally laminar lcharacter of the felt, due to thefelting operation in its formation, for the felt tends to pull apart at different levels between its top and bottom surfaces, leaving an irregular layer of asphalt saturated felt attached tothe floor, which cannot for all practical purposes be successfully removed.

This problem has been recognizedfor the advantages of permanently cementing the iioor cove'ring in place are important. In recent years,V

there has been introduced on the market, felt base materials which may be satisfactorily cemented in place. Cementing is desirable since it prevents any substantial expansion .of the covering which results in buckling and consequent breakage, and at the same time, it eliminates the use of unsightly and hazardous metal binding strips over the seams. Wall coverings must be cemented in place.

There are two types of felt base door coverings now in common use which may be cemented in place and subsequently removed from the floor.l

In. one type, removability of the covering is attained by the use of a permanently plastic layer of rubber disposed between the felt base and the adhesive used to secure the covering to vthe floor. The permanently plastic material has greater afllnity for the felt than it has for the adhesive and as a consequence it breaks away from the adhesive when removal of the covering is eected. l

In the second type, a coating is applied to the underside of the felt base and this coating has v the characteristic of parting or rupturing 4internally. Its resistance to rupture is less than the felt base to which it is applied. In the application of this material, a layer of adhesive is applied to the floor and the material .is pressed into engagement with it.

is thus disposed between the felt base and the adhesive and constitutes'a weak link inthe struc ture. -When it is desired to remove the covering, it is pried loose in one corner of the room and is stripped from the oor by rupture of the partible coating. This is possible because the partible coating is materially weaker than the felt base and the coating ruptures internally before the felt tears.

My invention relates to an improvement in the structure of the latter class, that is, those in which a partible coating is employed.

In the manufacture of such floor coverings, it has been found necessary to formulate the partible coatings specifically for each type of material to which such coatings were to be applied, becauser difference in the time and temperature of the curing of the material altered the characteristics of rupturability or partibility of the coatings. The range of rupturability of the partible coating is notl too wide and it is desirable to be able to produce material having a coating falling within a rather restricted range.

The partible coating v It has heretofore been determined that there are certain limits of cohesion, within which the required rupturability of the partible coating is obtained. Limits of 3'to 30 pounds resistance are satisfactory, but limits of 6 to 30 pounds are preferred. If the tensile resistance be substantially greater'. than 30 pounds, the rupturable coating is so strong as to prevent ready -remov ability, and with tensile resistance substantially' less than 3 pounds, there is some danger of the covering becoming loose during use, due to heavy trame conditions. For that reason, a minimum of 6 pounds is preferred. -Felt base products have a tensile strength above 30 pounds in that samples do not rupture when .attempts are made to remove them from blocks of wood with an interposed partible coating which ruptures at 30 pounds.

The limits of cohesion may be determined by the Scott test in the following manner:

To'one side of a strip of wood 6 inches long by 2 inches wide a thin layer;y of linoleum .cement or paste is applied, using a notched doctor blade to distribute the paste or cement evenly over the entire surface. To the paste or cement is immediately appliedv a, strip of the covering to be tested 8 inches by 2. inches Wide, one end of which is placed flush with one end of the strip of wood, the other end extending free beyond the wood strip. Afterrolling to obtain a satisfamI tory bond between the wood and. the covering, the sample is maintained at normal room temperature for approximately four days. to dry the paste or cement. The resistance of the coating to tensile forces is determined byv placing the sample in a, Scott tensile strength machine at right angles tothe direction of the forces to be exerted. The strength of the forces recorded as the covering is removed from the wood strip measures the resistance of thecoating to tensile forces.

As an example of the problem involved in floor covering manufacture, lthe `partible Acoating for use on Linofior, where the wearing surface is a linoleum composition, which is stoved for a relatively long period of time, say days., and at relatively high temperatures, say 190 F., must be formulated differently than a similar coating for use on printed felt Ioase where the wear layer is an oil paint, which is cured or set by stoving for a relatively shorter time and at relatively lower temperatures. Thus, each time the formulation of the wearing surface is materially changed, it

` the partible coating.

Many experiments have been conducted to lnd a satisfactory' solution to this problem and great effort has been expended to nd a universal coating possessing the requisite rupturability. The

` general belief has been that the heating in the curing stoves or'. ovens for setting the paint or f maturing the linoleum composition has induced some chemical reaction in the rupturable oating, increasing its strength tothe point where it will not rupture prior to tearing of the felt. This is a logical theory and Vhas been extensively expiored.A I have now discovered, however, that the deleterious action caused -by heat is apparently due to some slight permeation of the asphalt saturant of the felt base into the rupturable coating, for Ihave found that'by providing a coating directly on the felt base, which is a positive barrier to the migration or bleeding of the asphalt therethrough and applying the rupturable coating to the barrier coating, time and temperature conditions no longer materially affect the rup- .turable coating. 'I'he same rupturable coating may now be used on printed felt base as is used on Linoilor. The problems of overheating or changes in formulation of the wearing surface of the covering, which previously required the'formulation of new rupturable coatings, are completely eliminated.

, According to the present invention, I provide a coating on the under surface of the saturated i felt base or foundation, and this coating is so vention. It should be understood that it is not limited to any particular ingredients, either in theseal coat or rupturablecoat or, in fact, ln the decorative coat. Each must produce a certain result and the physical characteristics of each coating are availed of to produce that resulty the seal coat must be a positive 'barrierto the migration of the asphalt or other saturant of the felt base i the partible coating must be materially weaker than the felt base so as to rupture internally before the felt tears: and the decorative paint should present a pleasing appearance Many differentcoatings will be' found to possess the required characteristics. My invention is not in the coatingsthemselves but the covering' and the building structure including the' coveringcemented in place.

Referring to the drawing, there. is shown: l In Figure 1 a sectional view of a floor or wall covering embodying my invention;

In Figure 2 a perspective view, broken'v away,

' acteristic of the coating 4 is that it act as a positive barrier to the migration or.bleeding of the asphalt or othersaturant from the felt base layer 3. The coating 4 may -be formulated as follows:

Parts by weight Casein--- 60.00 Ammonia 26? Baum 6.00 Formalin 4.60 Water 492.00

In this coating, the casein is the binder. Ammonia is used as an alkali to render the casein soluble. Formalin is used as an insolubilizing agent for the casein and water is a vehicle. The particular formulation of the seal coating is not important, provided it act as a barrier to the saturant of the felt base.

The partible coating 5 may be formulated as follows:

. Parts by weight Soy bean protein 35.00 Borax` 7.50 Formalin 3.00 No. 3 refined clay 466.00 Water 538.00

In this coating, the soy bean protein is the binder and borax is an alkali serving to render the protein water. soluble. The formalin and water serve purposes similar to those served inthe-seal coat above referred to. The rei'lned clay in the rupturable or partible coating is a ller. The particular ingredients used in the rupturable coating are not important, so long as they produce a final coating which is materially weaker` than the felt base in resistance to rupture, preferably in the range of 6 to 30 pounds, as determined by the Scott test.

The decorative paint is used to .enhance the appearance of the product when exhibited for sale. A typical formula for this paint may be as follows:

Parts by weight Casein 52.50 Borax l v 7.00 Sodium metasilicate .63 Formal-in 4.00 No. 3 refined clay 392.00 Red pigment 39.00 Whiting 87.50 Water 556.00

In Figure 2, I have shown a modifiedfloor covering in which there are provided two thicknesses of paint 6 and 1, which serve as decorative coatings for the back surface ofthe felt.

These layers may be of the decorative coating abovereferred to, applied intwo coats, or one coatjmaybemore or less of a size coat and a l final coat pigmented to the desired color.

Figure 3 illustrates a, typical building structure embodying my invention. The floor covering of Figure 1 is secured by means of 'an adhesive 8 to a floor or wall surface 9. The enlarged portion of .Figure 3 diagrammatically illustrates removal of the covering by rupture of the coating 5. It will be lseen that 'when the-covering is stripped from the area to which it is cemented, the coating 5 ruptures about midway of its thickness, permitting ready removal without damage and leaving the base in condition to receive a new covering.

From the foregoing, it will b'e seen that by my .invention a building structure is created in which 4 a floor covering,

having a saturated felt body may be adhesively secured in permanent relationship to a noor or wall structure, and removed therefrom by rupture of a partiblev coating which is disposed between the saturated felt base and l the-floor or wall structure, the coating being materially weaker than the, felt base in resistance to rupture, and to a floor or wall covering in which the rupturable coating is Vprotected by an interposed barrier vcoating against deleterious attack by the saturant of the felt base.

While I` have described .and illustrated certain 4. A hard 'surface covering including a sheet of felt impregnated with a moisture resistant substance, a barrier coating applied to the fibrous material, a partible coating materially weaker than the fibrous material in resistancev to rupture applied'over the barrier coating, the barrier coatingpreventlng the migration of the impregnant for the fibrous material into the partible coating which 'would alter thestrength` of the j partible coating in resistance to rupture, anda decorative paint apfpliedover the partible, coating; 5. A hard surface covering including a sheet of felt impregnated with asphalt, a partible coating,- materially 'weaker than the felt in'resistance to rupture, lapplied to said sheet, and a barrier'coating interposed between said sheet and said partible coating to prevent migration of the impregnant for the fibrous material into the partible coating which would alter the strength of ythe partible coating in resistance to rupture."

6. A hardsurface covering-including a sheet of partible fibrous material impregnated lwith a moisture resistantl substance, a barrier coating applied ,to the fibrous material, and a partible coating materially weaker than the fibrous material in resistance to rupture applied over-the barriercoating. the barrier coating preventing anyheat induced migration of 'the impregnant for the brous material into the partible coating which would alter the strength of the coati ing in resistance to rupture whereby the temperpreferred embodiments in my invention, it will be understood that it is not limited to such form,

sincel it may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim: Y

1.4 A hard surface covering including `a sheet of partible fibrous materialv impregnated with a moisture resistant suiltance, a barrier coating applied to theAbrous material,v and a partible coating materially weaker thanthe brous material in resistance to rupture applied over the barrier coating, the barrier coating preventing the migration of the impregnant for the fibrous material into the partible coating which would alter the strength of the partible coating in resistance to rupture.- Y

2. A hard surface covering including a sheet of atpartible fibrous material impregnated with a moisture resistant substance, a partible coating having a resistance to rupture in the range. of 3 to 30 pounds determined by the scott test," and beingmaterially weaker than the fibrous matee 'coating interposed between said sheet and said partible coatingto prevent migration ofthe impregnant for the-flbrous material into the partlble coating which would alter the strength of the partible coating in resistance to rupture.

Y. rupture lapplied to said sheet, anda barrier coatature at which the covering is heated in the curing thereof does notaffect the rupturable characteristics of the partible coating. f-

'7. 'A hard surface covering including a sheet of asphalt impregnated felt, a partible coating materially weaker than the felt in resistance toV rupture applied to said, sheet, and a barrier coating including. casein interposed between said sheet and said partible coating to prevent migra-- tion of the impregnant for the i'lbrous material into the partible coating which would alter" the strength of the partible coating in resistance to rupture.

8. A hard surface covering including a sheet of partible fibrous material impregnated with. asphalt, a, partible lcoating having a resistance to rupture in the range of 3 to 30 pounds deter- 5b mined by the Scott test,,and being materially? weakerthar the brous material in resistance to lng interposed between said sheet and said partible coating to prevent migration of the asphalt impregnant for the fibrous material into the partible coating `which would alter the strength of the partible coating in resistance to rupture.

9: A hard surface covering including a sheet.

of felt impregnated with asphalt, a partible co'ating having a resistance to rupture in the range of 6 to 3 0 pounds determined by the Scott test," and being materially weaker .than the fibrous material in resistance to ruptureapplied to said sheet.- a barrier coating interposed between said Asheet and said partible coatigto prevent migration of the asphalt impregnant for the fibrous material into the partible coating which would alter the strength of the partible coating in re.

sistance to rupture, and a wear layer applied to the opposite face of said sheet.

. JAMES E. HAZEL'I'INE.` Ja. 

